I Don't Understand What Is Going Wrong :(

[Millie]

As some of you may remember, last Sunday I posted a thread about one of my guinea pigs, Oscar, having a head tilt and being unbalanced, which turned out to be an ear infection. It seems to have struck again but this time with my other guinea pig Alfie. He has been totally fine all day and he has eaten and had floor time as normal, and I bought up their tea about 10 minutes early today while mine was cooking to save time, and after I came back upstairs after putting the veg into the cage about 5 minutes later, he was lying down half in his tube and half out and didn't come out when I called his name. He carried on lying down after I removed the tube and he couldn't really walk properly, he's very uneasy and unbalanced on his feet. I hand fed him his veggies after he got up and hobbled to his bed but I am just at a loss. He does not have a head tilt, however
It was only a week ago that Oscar had the same thing but with a head tilt, and my mum said that we will obviously take him to the vets tomorrow but I don't understand why within the space of a week both piggies have been ill? I try and do everything right by them and I look after them really well, or at least I thought I did
Why would both of them get ill with what seems like the same ear infection one week after the other?
Oscar went back to the vets on saturday and the vet said to carry on with the couple more doses of antibiotics that he has because the infection seems to be clear so that is something, but I just want to know what I'm doing wrong for both of my boys to get sick

 

[helen105281]

It is possible that you are dealing with the same thing and it has been passed on by Oscar. Please don't blame yourself. I would get Alfie seen as soon as you can so treatment can be started. Is he eating at all for himself?

 

[Millie]

My mum is going to ring tomorrow morning when she gets into work. I hand fed some of his veggies and then he ate the rest by himself. Does that mean the ear infection is contagious or was there something else that caused it that is?

 

[Claire W]

I agree with Helen, this is not your fault and just one of those things. There is nothing that can be done to prevent an ear infection.

It is more likely that the ear infection has been transferred from Oscar to Alfie and it is sheer bad luck.

It's good that Alfie is eating for himself and that your mum is going to make a vet appointment tomorrow and it is also good that Oscar is showing signs of improvement.

 

[Millie]

I'm now even more confused.. It seems that little episode didn't last very long, and I may have jumped the gun. I was just downstairs talking to my mum about Alfie for about 10 minutes and when I got back into my room I moved a bag of hay and Alfie (he was lying on a bed in his cage at the time) got up and ran to the front of his cage! I thought it was strange so I picked up a bag of grassy treats and shook it at one end of the cage which he ran to, and did the same thing just so I could see if he walked/ran quickly, and he seems fine. When I first saw him earlier, he was unbalanced and uneasy for about 30 minutes which is why the idea developed in my head that it was the same thing because it looked extremely similar to what Oscar was like, but now he seems okay, I don't understand what the little 30 minutes meant when he couldn't really walk because he looked very poorly? I think my piggies like stressing me out

 

[helen105281]

That's good he is eating. If you can, weigh him tonight and then daily at the same time while he is poorly.

 

[helen105281]

I wonder if he had a small TIA, my Phoebe used to have them occasionally. It's a like a mini stroke. I would still get him checked by the vet in case it happens again.